Belgian winger De Bruyne leaves Chelsea for Wolfsburg

VfL Wolfsburg have completed the signing of talented winger Kevin de Bruyne from Chelsea with the Belgian agreeing to a five-year contract, the Bundesliga club said on Saturday.

The 22-year-old De Bruyne, who also had a loan spell at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga last season, will train with his new team on Saturday.

"For me it was clear that Wolfsburg was my first contact point if Chelsea let me move," the Belgian international said of a move reportedly costing around 20 million euros.

Neither club released any financial details of the transfer, although Chelsea were keen to recover funds after paying a reported £21 million for Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic from Benfica on Wednesday.

"I want to play my part so that the club can continue being successful and return to the international scene," De Bruyne added.

Wolfsburg, German champions in 2009, are fifth in the Bundesliga with the season set to resume after the winter break later this month.

"Signing Kevin means we are bringing more quality into the team," Wolfsburg coach Dieter Hecking said. "He is a player with outstanding qualities and I am happy that he decided in favour of Wolfsburg."

De Bruyne started the opening Premier League game of the season for Chelsea, a 2-0 home win over Hull City, in August but quickly lost his first-team place and subsequently made only sporadic appearances.

The move is also likely to ensure more playing time for a player desperate to make the Belgium squad for the World Cup in Brazil later this year.